• audio·phile - a person with love for, affinity towards or obsession with high-quality playback of sound and music.

/r/audiophile is a forum for discussion of the pursuit of quality audio reproduction of all forms, budgets, and size. Our primary goal is insightful discussion of equipment, sources, music, and audio concepts.

One final rule: All content in /r/audiophile should be related to audio quality in some form. Moderators reserve the right to delete posts that don't treat or discuss audio quality as a primary objective of a post.

A sound system like this (or one of the many classic reggae sound systems) is an instrument in its own right. It isn't meant to provide a flat response. They provide a stimulation that is only partly auditory, and partly visceral.

Each sound system provides a unique presentation aesthetic. DJs play records on a system, and then musicians subsequently tailor their music to push the system further. It is a beautiful thing.

Edited to add some links:

In the 70s, there were parties held at a venue called The Loft, which had a straight up audiophile sound system (although enhanced using commercial JBL horns slung from the ceiling). The Loft had a no mixing policy, and played tracks in their entirety from start to finish. Rather than playing artists from a particular genre of music, The Loft played tracks from eclectic artists that had a similar feel, and the fast, danceable, funky tracks that they were playing were influential on disco.

A write up of the Paradise Garage sound system. Possibly the most influential in history, it literally shaped the sound of club music as we know it. The electronic crossovers of the system were controllable from the DJ booth. A track played through that system could be manipulated far beyond EQing. Imagine being able to smoothly transition the bass between sub arrays with different acoustic properties. People from the UK travelled to NY to visit this club, and the designers of the system (and their legacy company) have made a great living trying to replicate it, even today. The most famous 'tribute' system was in the Ministry of Sound superclub in London.

Jah Shaka, a Jamaican style sound system in London that (I think) is still tube based. There are many sound systems that are bigger, higher fidelity and more commercial, but Jah Shaka is a real original Jamaican style system, and you can hear it regularly around London. Jamaican sound systems are part gig promoters, part artist collective, and part audio hobby gone mad. Systems will hold competing parties, but sometimes will combine or even a/b their rigs in what can only be described as competitive party offs called Sound Clashes. These are ridiculous fun. Most of them feature exclusive mixes for the particular DJ, and are the origin of 'shout outs' in records. The shout out to the DJ shows that a DJ has an exclusive mix, but in the best clash records, the artist on the record is also declaring allegiance to the DJ and sound system for the purposes of the battle. Meta as hell, especially when they start stealing rhythms from artists that are vouching for the other sound system.

Valve Sound System. A Drum 'n Bass sound system which can be found throughout the UK and Europe. This is a pretty special system if you like to be disoriented by punishing bass. I have experienced this system personally and it is hard to describe. Breathtaking. Mental. The only way I can describe it is that it is like a musical jet engine.

you might want to check out this article. the grateful dead made their own touring soundsystem (actually two, one would be in use while the other was being torn down or set up) called the wall of sound...awesome stuff man